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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · cell · tear · pound · bear · current · mark · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mark — a trace
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. cue — a signal
  15. current — of water
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com